Footwear



side. 1 V v t V The principal object of the invention is to proa 'vide means in footwear to prevent'drip from the footwear which accumulates from traversing'wet surfaces frombeing thrown from theheel of the .footwear on one foot of the wearerto the back-of Patented Got. 5, 1943 I V FOOTWEAR; H c, 4 Cun-yOra Walper,Kitchener,lOntario;z v

A Application Marcus, 1942, Serial 33,131)

11 claims.

This invention relates to improvements in: the heels of footwear, the lattefincluding'the classes known generally as shoes and all protective coverings for shoes I such as rubbers and overshoes, and consists essentially of a heel tread'or top'lift having a forwardlyextending tongue or flapand alaterally extending ledge or shelf "on the'inner the leg belonging to the opposite foot.

"Contrary to general opinion, the rain and mud stains observedparticularly on the backs of the stockings of women while or having walked on wet surfaces are not caused bysplash thrown up at the instant of contact of the foot with: the walked on surface, or by drip thrown upwardly and rearwardly to the back of the leg belonging to the same foot. fact, these stainsarecaused by drip being thrown forwardly by theheel of one foot after having been in contact with the walked onsurface onto the leg belonging to the "opposite foot while the first foot is passin'g the second during its progress forward after having been to the ground and vice v'ersa. The prior artteaches the incorrect cause of the stains'rnen tioned, to wit; that they arecaused 'on'the leg belonging to the ofiendingfoot, or by thersplash of the opposite footwhen contacting thewalked on surface.'- In proof that theugenerali theory is incorrect; a person has been shod on'jone foot with ordinary footwearand on the other with the present invention, with the invariable result that. the leg belonging to the foot equipped with the i ordinary footwear is, clean,-while that equipped with the invention is soiled.

t Another important object of the invention is provide a device of the class described which will be inconspicuous andrpass unnoticed tothe casual observer; in fact, will not be noticeable at all asa departure from the general or conventional type of footwear. .1:

Still afurther device of this kind which will be simple, and inexpensive to produce and purchase.

important object isfto provide a' 19f; refer nc nd" l 'i ik part i the fie l i "views; and:

jd footwear showing a; heel constructe io dan n h 'Pr sent l igur e'ii is acr'oss sectional view; of th implan; the: free end optima-tongue 1 1s, pqint "curveinwardly and merge in a point or l ap ex.

The tongue, ll, moreover, extendsalaterally 'at least onthe iinnermsidev of the heel, or.,th'ats1de igure 1 is a side elevation in part of an 4 'rti'cle provedjheeltaken {on the line 3 3 of Figure 1. Referring now to the drawing; the heellbelonging tothe article of footwear shown thereo'n is indicated by l 0; the'shanlc being-indicated by'the reference; character 13, while the" sole' of the 1 shoe 7 is "shown-atfl 62' -In its lpr esentembodiment,'the

' invention consists of a forwardly extending tongue H "which is preferably: .anintegral part'go'f; the heel tread or top lift I2 and on a common plane therewith. particularly the tread surface In 5t i to g at, that is to'say, the lateral edges of-the which isvnextto the opposite foot of thew'earer,

to form wedge or shelf ;l 5, protruding from the juxtaposedrvertical plane of the heel l0.

v ,invwalking in Wet weather with co? 7 footwear it might be said there are two conditions to which thefodtwearissubmitted;, i

First; the walked :ons 'rface may dnlybefiwet,

c and then only th 1 bottom of the tread"beconies Second,,the we'arrjmaybe walking through islush or puddles when a good proportion" of the entire heel is immersed each Step1 In,.the first.instanc'e the waterp ckednpby he surface flows. bylmolecularj attraction d ownitlie :bottom 'of the 'treadwhen the foot is ais dfm the angular position behind the otherpand offthe' tread at-the forward corners ofthjeheeli How- 3 ever there is finvariablylthef remaining 1 drop 'o'r vtwse d-iil s ilis ld' o s'whi ih vvii ot leg belonging", to n e; ppo'site foot;while 'thefflrst foot is passing the' ot l er'in itsjforwardmovement.

With the above and other objects in view as will be hereinafter apparent, the invention consists in general of certain novel details, of construction and combination of parts'hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and specifically claimed...

In the accompanying drawing like characters In the second instance,-tlie condition in which the heel is partially or perhaps wholly immersed,

the water flows after the immersion down the heel and underneath it to the under-surface of the tread. Here again is the invariable drop or two of water which is thrown to the back of the opposite leg. v

The operation of follows:

the present invention is as In the first instance, the water picked up by the ventional V fbottompf'the 'treadafter contact with 'thewet bottom of the tread flows down the bottom thereof clean to the point M of the tongue H where the remaining drop or two, or discharge is directed substantially parallel with the path normally taken by the foot during its advanced movement, instead of those drops being thrown laterally to the opposite leg.

In the second condition of walking, when the heel is wholly or partially immersed, the water, after each immersion, flows downwardly along the heel, and on the side thereof next to the opposite foot it is interrupted by the ledge l5, flows along the ledge and thence along the upper surface of the tongue and to the ground.

Similarly, the remaining drops will be discharged parallel with the path of the foot, as in the first 1 described instance.

Under no circumstances then is oneleg of the I wearer soiled by the footwear on the opposite leg. There has thus been provided a simple and efiicient device of the kind described and for the purpose specified. I

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction of the invention without departing from the material spirit there'- of. It is not, therefore; desired to confine the invention to the exact vform herein shown and described, but it, is desired to include all such as properly come within, the scope claimed.

I claim:

1. In an article of footwear which includes a shank portion and a 'heel tread, a tongue on the heel tread and extending in advance thereof and free of the shank portion, the bottom surfaces of the heel tread and tongue being on a common plane.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the free end of the tongue terminates in a point,-sai d point being located beneath the shank'portion,

and in a zone removed from the side of the article of footwear which when said article is worn as a member of a pair lies next the other member.

3. In an article offfootwear which includes. a

shank portion and a heel, a tongueon the 'heel and extending forwardly thereof and free of the shank portion, the bottom surfaces of the heel and tongue being on-a common plane.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the free end of the tongue terminates ina'point, said point being located beneath the shank portion and in a zone removed from the side of the article of footwear which when said'article is worn as a member" of a pair lies next the other member.

jshankpportion, a ledge on the side of the heel which when the article of footwear is worn as v a member of a pair lies next the heel of the other member, the upper surface of said ledge and the upper surface of said tongue being in communication.

8. The device according to claim '7, wherein thefree end of the tongue terminates in a point,

said point being located beneath the shank portion and in a zone removed from the side of the article of footwear having the ledge on the heel thereof.

9. In an article of footwear which includes a shank portion, and a heel portion having the normal propensity of acquiring a coating of moisture when the foot of the wearer of the footwear is set down and the footwear exposed to moisture during the course of a pace, of lifting the moisture in the form of drip when the foot is raised subsequently to being set down in the course of a pace, and of precipitating the drip ahead but diagonally of the path normally taken by the foot during its advance movement in a pace and diagonally of the longitudinal median line of the footwear, pointed means associated with the heel portion and extending forwardly under the shank portion and free of the shank ;portion whereby the said direction of precipita- 5. In an article of footwear which includes a shank portion and a heel, a tongue on the heel and extending forwardly thereof and free of the shank portion, the bottom surfaces 'of the heel and tongue being on a common'planaa ledgeon th side of the 'heel which when the article of footwear isworn as a member of a pair 'lles next the heel of the other member, the bottom surface of said ledge beingion a plane common to that of the heel and tongue.

tion of the drip is directed to a direction substantially parallel with the path' normally taken by the foot during its advance movement.

10. In an article of footwear which includes a shank portion, and a heelportlon having the normal propensity of acquiring a coating of moisture whenthe foot of the wearer of the footwear is set down and the footwear exposed to moisture during the course of a pace, of lifting the moisture in the form of drip when the foot is raised subsequently to being set down in the course of a pace, and of precipitating the drip ahead during the advance movement of the foot in a pace, pointed means associated with the heel portion and extending forwardly under the, shank portion and free of the shank portion whereby the precipitation of the drip is directed substantially parallel "ing substantially on a common-plane.

CURRY ORA -WALPER. 

